a child of god
this is the way, run in it
What is the kingdom of God like? the now and not yet fully here Kingdom of the LORD God? "The kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it (JOY over it!) he goes & sells all he has, and buys that field" (Matthew 13:44). This is one of my favorite verses in the bible. I've always treasured it - no pun intended. :) When I read it, my heart leaps in my chest and says, Yes! That's how I feel. And I hug that knowledge, that relationship with God, the knowledge that Jesus is my Lord, to my chest, and delight in it, like a little kid. Matthew 13, the chapter, gives many little vignettes into what the kingdom of God is like, to describe how precious this knowledge about God and what He has done for us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16), is like. In the middle of the chapter there is a parable, though, that is different, and yet still on topic. It is the parable of the wheat and the tares. Verses 24-30 tell this story. Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”' In the now but not yet of the Kingdom of God, we, the servants and disciples /followers of Jesus are meant to be about kingdom work. We are supposed to be sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet, sowing seeds for the kingdom, telling them about this treasure God offers to anyone who will believe. In the midst of that, the enemy, God's enemy and ours, Satan, is sowing seeds of disbelief and hardness of heart in anyone he can. He is against God and against God's people. So in this parable, the servants of God are aghast when they spot the tares growing in the middle of the wheat field. Jesus goes on to explain that the wheat represents us, the people of God who believe in Jesus, He calls us sons of the kingdom of God, and the tares are sons of the evil one, Satan, and his world system which is his kingdom for a time. And the servants ask the Master, what shall we do? Uproot the tares? And He says, no, that would damage the young wheat. Wait until the harvest, and then we sort the wheat and the tares out (they will become evident by their fruit - what they look like, act like, etc) - the wheat to be gathered into the harvest, and the tares to be burned.
For us, this means that even though we look around and see that there are those who won't believe in Jesus, we aren't to worry about that. God will sort us all out at the Last Judgement. What we are supposed to be doing is working for the kingdom during our lifetime here on this earth, telling people the good news of Jesus, and growing and learning in what it means to be sons and daughters of the kingdom of God. As we do that, this is what happens, "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (v.43). Daniel talks about this as well. In Daniel, chapter 11, v. 32, he writes, "and by smooth words he (the anti-Christ) will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant (of God), but the people who know their God will display strength and take action." And in chapter 12, v. 3, "And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever." Yes, we get to receive treasure from God when we believe in Jesus; but it's a treasure we are supposed to share. And as we are about the kingdom work of our God, and as we grow in what it means to belong to His family, we shine brighter and brighter, for Him. Even as the world becomes darker, we shine brighter. This is part of our testimony, and it helps people see the choice that lies before them. At the end of Matthew, chapter 13, vv. 51-52, Jesus says this to His disciples, "Have you understood all these things?" They said, "Yes." Then He said, "Therefore every scribe (those who keep records, notes, teachings, so they are not lost forever) who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of the household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old." We have a treasure to cherish and rejoice over, gleefully clasping Him, the Lord Jesus, to our chests, as we share about Him with everyone we meet. We should also read, study, remember all He taught, and following in His ways with courage and strength, faithfulness, light up the path to Him for all the world to see. This is our task today.
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Abijah! He's my new main man. Well, after Jesus and Ian. Wow! Just love the way he makes his stand for God. I'm looking forward to meeting him in heaven one day and shaking his hand.
He became King of Judah and Jerusalem after his father King Rehoboam. Some of the Kings of Israel were baddies, some were goodies, and some were a mix. King Rehoboam was a mix; he did some good and followed God leading the people with him for 3 years, then he fell away. 3 years! Only 3 years. That breaks my heart. But King Rehoboam was inheriting a problem his father created, King Solomon. Yes, King Solomon wasn't a pure goodie. He messed up towards the end of his life, unlike his father, King David, who messed up in the middle. Solomon was wooed away from God by his foreign wives who worshiped other gods. The point is that Solomon got judged by God because of his sin, and the judgement, a divided kingdom, 10 tribes torn from his kingship, was what his son Rehoboam inherited. A servant of Solomon's, Jeroboam, was given the 10 tribes by God with the promise that if he walked in God's ways and trusted in Him, God would bless his kingship and establish his family line. Another sad bit of this story is that Jeroboam was so afraid that people wouldn't follow him that he didn't trust God, and he tried to create his own kind of worship with golden idols for the people to follow, to tie them to himself. That was sinful and he got judged for that idolatry. But, when Abijah, my man Abijah, inherits the throne from his father Rehoboam and becomes King of Judah and Jerusalem, he takes on Jeroboam, who was king over the other 10 tribes at the time. This is recorded in 2 Chronicles 13- it's worth a read! Abijah confronts Jeroboam, and standing on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, he addresses Jeroboam and all Israel. He basically says that the LORD God of Israel gave the rule of Israel to David and his sons by covenant, and Jeroboam's taking the ten tribes and leading them in false worship of idols which are not gods will not succeed. Abijah says, "But as for us (Judah and Benjamin), The LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him." And even though you are bigger than us in number, you will not succeed in making war against us. "Now behold, God is with us at our head..." Abijah takes on Jeroboam, even though the odds are not in his favor. Jeroboam sends his warriors out and ambushes Abijah and his men, who find themselves surrounded. And what does Abijah do? He and the men of Judah cried out to the LORD God and the priests blew the trumpets, and the men of Judah raised a war cry. The Word says, "when they raised the war cry, then it was that God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. God gave them into their hands." God fights for His people. He is never outnumbered. He is never at a loss. God is in control. When we belong to the LORD God and make our stand with Him, He fights for us! Have faith in God and what He has said to you. Make your stand on who He is and what He has said. He will always come through, as Abijah found out. Do you want to live? Really live? The only way we live spiritually is in God through faith in Jesus, the Son of God. When we do that - come to God through faith - He makes us alive spiritually and as we live each day in Him, walk with Him, listen to Him through His Word and His Spirit, God Himself begins to do things for us and in us that we can't do ourselves. Life with God is so worth it!
I'm reading in Ephesians 4 this week and I had one of those God light bulb moments when His Spirit shines out of the scripture and shows me something. Reading from verse 17 onwards, there is a real contrast between people who don't know God and people who do know God. Those who don't know God live their lives trapped in the futility (useless, can't accomplish anything) of their own minds, because their minds aren't able to comprehend God's light and truth as their own are darkened (by sin and the enemy), and because of that they are excluded from life in God. Not only that but their hearts have hardened because of how they live their life, in sin, separated from God. Trapped! with dark minds and hearts, excluded from God and His light and truth, with hard hearts - how sad. The contrast is with the people of God. These people who believe in Jesus as the Messiah, as Christ, have soft hearts towards God and towards other people. Their understanding is not darkened, but instead God has shone the light of His wisdom and knowledge and Spirit into their hearts and minds, spirits and bodies. They walk in God's ways, out of love and obedience, and they grow in their understanding of who God is and who they are to God. They are not excluded from the life of God because their sin is forgiven by Jesus; instead, they are immersed into the life and light of God. They/we do this by forsaking the old sinful way of life, putting off that old self that gave in to sin and said and did things that weren't good. And we put on our new self, daily, that Jesus has made possible for us to have - this new self has been made in the likeness of God Himself - created in righteousness, and holiness of the truth. And we get to put that on! We are renewed in the spirit of our minds every day in God's word and by His Spirit. Verse 31-32 says this, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice (that's all sinful old self stuff that leads to death and a darkened mind and hard heart). And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgive you (this is our new self, our spiritual life in God - full of Him, full of light and righteousness and holiness and grace)." God Himself makes it possible for us to come to Him and be changed. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 - 10, talks about this. Even when we were dead (and darkened, hardened) in our trespasses and sins, even then, God (v.4) in His rich mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, made us alive with Christ (by grace we have been saved). For by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, not as a result of works (not anything we could have done for ourselves) that no one should boast (v.8-9). When we walk with God (and we need to do this daily), He washes our minds and hearts clean with His word, and He shines the light of His Spirit in our hearts - we are immersed in Him, in His light - and that illumines the way for others to come to Jesus. That's how we shine for Jesus. That's how we know God more and more, and become the person/people He created and died to redeem. That is what life is about. How could we not want that? Every time I read in the book of Proverbs in the bible, I think of my brother, Paul (he loves Proverbs and often quotes from it), and I think of my Grandmother (who also loved the book of Proverbs). Grandmother had my brothers and me memorize verses from proverbs when we were children. One was from Proverbs 25:28, "Like a city that is broken into and without walls, is the man who has no control over his spirit." She would also say, read a psalm a day to learn about God and a proverb a day to learn about people - and how to interact with both!
This morning I'm in Proverbs 3 as part of my read through the bible program (5th time through!). There is so much in this chapter to read and ponder, and then apply. As I was reading it today, I was struck by the beginning where it says "bind kindness and truth around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart" (v.3). So I pictured a necklace, with charms on it. A necklace with kindness on it, truth on it, displayed for others to see as I go through my day, on my neck so I can touch them from time to time and remind myself of how God wants me to be and act each day. That necklace also has on it, trust in God (v.8), the fear of the Lord (awe, respect, allegiance - v.7), wisdom (v.21) and sound discretion. Verse 22 talks about how wisdom and sound discretion will not only adorn our necks but also bring life. And when God talks about life he means more than living and breathing and walking this earth! He is talking about spiritual life, life with Him which goes into eternity if we belong to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Life which sets people free, and brings blessing. And Proverbs 3 then says this - if we do all this, treasure these aspects of life with God which He blesses, "then you will walk securely, and your foot will not stumble." When you lie down, you won't be afraid and your sleep will be sweet, and v. 26, "for the LORD will be your confidence, and He will keep your foot from being caught." It's as simple as taking hold of that tree of life, wisdom, and holding fast to her (v. 18), and of choosing to put on that necklace of godly traits, to live out throughout our day. That necklace is not one of these, get it out only when we want to dress up, for special occasions, kind of necklaces that lives in a special box on our dresser. It is the kind of necklace we put on every day, our favorite one, the one our hand goes to automatically, because of what it means and we treasure it. It's a reminder for us of how to live in God's footsteps, His ways, but it is also on display for others to see, so they see Him, too. It's called real life with God. I'm in 2 Samuel Chapter 11 today and it's all about sin. Lust, adultery, murder and blackmail. Yes, it is the story of how King David got into trouble, sinned, and then tried to cover it up. What struck me this morning is how easy it is to fall into the trap of scheming. David was scheming, trying to find a way to cover up his sin. Here's a definition of scheming. Another word for scheming is manipulation. When we try to get our way by manipulation, trying to make something go our way, we can all too easily fall into the error of not acting with integrity, of not doing the right thing with the right motives. In this story in Chapter 11, there is a stellar example of integrity, which we'll get to in a bit.
What also struck me about this story today is how many times David could have stopped and chosen not to sin. Those decision points where we can change the direction we are going in, David plowed right through on the wrong course. The chapter opens with this, "Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle..." David didn't go! He sent his commander and his army and the ark of the covenant, but he didn't go himself. He stayed behind in comfort, with nothing to do, in Jerusalem. We start to think something bad is going to happen when we read that, because it is a departure from what one would expect and a departure from David's nature and previous actions. David could have gone to war as most kings do, but for some reason he chose not to. While he is in Jerusalem, he accidentally sees a woman, a very beautiful woman, taking a bath up on her rooftop. There's nothing wrong with that. He could have chosen to turn his eyes away and not think about her anymore. But he chooses to act on the lust that rose up in him when he saw her. He asks his servants who she is. He then finds out she is married to Uriah the Hittite, one of his soldiers. He could have said, oh well, she's married and not available, and walked away from sin there. But he didn't. He chooses again to sin. He sends for her, they sleep together, and she becomes pregnant. All this while her husband is away fighting for Israel and his King. David could have stopped his path of sin destruction there by confessing what he had done, admitting that he is responsible for the pregnancy. That would have been the path of integrity, if with shame. But he didn't. He went on to make matters worse. He sent for Uriah from the battle front and he asked for reports from the battle. But what he really wanted (so we see he is scheming here, trying to cover up his true motivation) was for Uriah to sleep the night at his own home, with his own wife, so David and Bathsheba could hide their sin and say the baby was Uriah's. But Uriah does not do that. He chooses the way that seems right to him, a path of integrity, and sleeps at the door of the king's palace with the other servants of the king. When David asks him the next day, "Why didn't you go home last night?!" Here is what Uriah says, "The ark (God's presence Himself with His people) and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab (the commander of the army) and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul (ironic that he swears by King David's soul at this point), I will not do this thing" (v.11). Uriah did what he thought was right. David tries again. The next night he gets Uriah drunk and hopes that Uriah will then go down to his house and sleep with his wife. He doesn't. Even though he did get drunk, he still slept outside the king's house. That is how strong that vein of integrity was within Uriah. David could have stopped there and faced the music, but he doesn't. We read that he goes on to ask Joab the commander of the army to set Uriah up so he gets killed - David arranges a murder, which also leaves David open to blackmail from Joab later on. I always wonder why Joab did this and what would have happened if he had questioned it or chosen not to do this, but he doesn't either. Makes me wonder about his motivation. After Uriah dies, and after a period of mourning, David takes Bathsheba into his own household and makes her his wife. And the story continues in Chapter 12. The point today is sin can not be covered up. It will be exposed at some point. God's word says that. "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (Luke 12:2). Temptation and the sin that follows acting on temptation is a slippery slope. One step in the wrong direction can lead to more and more. And there will always be consequences. It is never too late to stop and turn our back on sin and say, no, far be it from me to sin against God and others by doing this. As for me, I will choose not to sin. I will choose the path of integrity. It is much better to stop, regardless of where you are on the path of sin, and not go any further. If David had stopped at any point before the murder of Uriah, the lives of several people would have been saved and the consequences would have been less. There were 7 places where David could have chosen to not pursue his sin or the covering of it up. 7 times when he could have repented and stopped. It isn't my intention to say that David is the worst sinner ever. God's word says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). I have sinned, too, and looking back, I can see where I could have stopped and made the right choice, and it would have gone better for me and others. The point I see in this today is I need to examine my heart on a daily basis and make sure that I'm not scheming after something myself. I want a pure heart with pure motives before my God who sees my heart and knows everything. He can help us with that! My heart is God's garden. I ask Him to tend it daily, to weed out anything that shouldn't be there and to plant the seeds of love and peace and kindness and righteousness - all the aspects of character and heart that please Him. He tends my heart. And I'm so thankful. Not scheming is having pure motives. If my motive is to love and serve God and others, not seeking after anything for myself but trusting God to take care of me, then I should act and speak like that. Dear Father God, please help me live this out today before You, by Your Holy Spirit's power working within me, and the example of Your Son Jesus to follow, in His name, Amen. In the beginning . . . that's how the bible opens, in Genesis Chapter 1, verse 1, and that is how the gospel of John opens, Chapter 1, verse 1. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This Word is Jesus we go on to read and discover. In the beginning was Jesus, and He was with God and He was God.
In Genesis Chapter 1, here is what the Word does. Starting at verse 1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and the darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the surface of the waters. Then God spoke and said, "Let there be light"; and there was light." God speaks, the Spirit acts, and the Word spoken brings light where there had been no light. And the rest of creation follows. Back in John Chapter 1, here is what the Word does. Starting at verse 1 again, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him (Jesus, the Word) was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." In Genesis, God creates light as His first act of creation. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, are seen in action doing this. Jesus, when He comes in the form of a human baby (God the Son becoming human so He could walk this earth in a body, to be seen touched heard and so He could fulfill God's big plan to offer a path of redemption to us from darkness and sin), He is called among other things, the true light, the Light of the World. John goes on to talk about the Word of God becoming human and displaying that true light of God on earth and the effect that has for us. Chapter 1, verse 9 onwards in John, "There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. (Jesus came so we could be lit up with the truth of who He is and God's plan for us.) He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. (Even though we came into being by Jesus, when we are trapped in darkness and sin, we don't recognize Him.) But (and this is the great part!) as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name". God is the One who helps us see that Jesus is the Son of God, the light of the World, the Word made flesh for our sake, our Savior and Redeemer. God is the One who helps this light break into our lives and set us free from darkness and sin. This is called our spiritual birth. Verse 13 talks about these children of God, "who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." When we do that, when we believe that God is, that Jesus is God, that we were created by Him to know Him and love Him, and that Jesus the Son of God became human to die for us and pay for our sins and rescue us, we are born spiritually into God's family. We get to live in the light of His presence forever, to bask in the light of His love for us. I love seeing this happen in people's lives. When God's light breaks into their hearts and they believe in Him, the resulting freedom and growth spiritually is amazing! I love seeing God do this. I am a child of God. I love seeing other people become children of God. My life has been transformed and is still being transformed to allow Jesus to shine better through it, more clearly, less clouded by me, displayed for the world to see. That's what children of God look like. Vessels of light, clay jars with cracks in them, for Jesus to shine through. May I more clearly reflect Him today in all I say in do, by the power of His light and life in me, in Jesus' name, Amen. I have a list of these sayings, which I have collected, little epiphanies, God light-bulb moments, like beautiful beads collected on a string, to count, recount, remember, delight in . . . God is the One who created me, God is the One who redeemed me, God is the One who calls me by name, etc., and all of those apply to each one of us. and the one for today is this: God is the One who always leads us in Jesus, and God is the One who manifests through us the knowledge of Jesus Christ in every place. These sayings come from 2 Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 14. Here is the full verse: But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. God leads us! He will show us the way to go. And He leads us in Jesus. If we are living our lives for Jesus, allowing Him access to every part of our lives, and living in Him the way He would like us to, abiding in Him and He in us, then we will know the way to go. Not only that, but God will manifest through us the knowledge of Jesus in every place He takes us. Manifest means to make apparent, to burst upon people's consciousness, to display itself. Here is the definition from Google below. God uses you and me to show Jesus to others. That is a BIG task. I know that I do not always feel like I do a great job at that. But thank God it is not up to me to accomplish that by myself! God is the One who does that through us when we allow Him to. The Apostle Paul goes on to state that "who is adequate for these things?!" (v. 16b) I know that feeling! He then goes on to say that we aren't adequate in ourselves - the ability to do this doesn't come from us, "But our adequacy is from God" (Ch 3, v.5) The Passion Translation puts it like this: Yet we don’t see ourselves as capable enough to do anything in our own strength, for our true competence flows from God’s empowering presence. So when we live our lives with God, allowing Him to lead, cooperating with Him in living our lives like Jesus - full of His Word and His Spirit - then others get to see Jesus too. We have become the unmistakable aroma of the victory of the Anointed One to God — a perfume of life to those being saved and the odor of death to those who are perishing. The unbelievers smell a deadly stench that leads to death, but believers smell the life-giving aroma that leads to abundant life. And who of us can rise to this challenge? For unlike so many, we are not peddlers of God’s Word who water down the message. We are those sent from God with pure motives, who speak in the sight of God from our union with Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:15-17) We aren't responsible for how other people react to Jesus. But we are responsible for showing people/the world Jesus - so each one can choose whether they will say yes to Him or not, breathe in His life giving fragrance or not, accept His offer of forgiveness for sins, and know what it is like to live life with Him - clean and clear.
And God is the One who does all of these things . . . through us when we belong to Him. Praise Him! This week I've been enjoying remembering and numbering the attributes of God. As a little kid, in Sunday School in Lubbock, Texas, we were taught the list of the attributes of God. We memorized them. You know, like this: the attributes of God are - He is: sovereign (He rules over everything), just (He is perfect in His judgments - a just Judge), loving (He is perfectly loving), merciful (His mercy covers us), the 3 omni's - omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (He is everywhere always), omnipowerful (all powerful), immutable (He alone does not change), eternal (not bound by time; He rules time), infinite (the Great I AM - the one who is and was and is to come - He is not a finite creature; rather He is the Creator), holy (the perfect holiness of God - He is the only One who is holy), true (God is truth; His ways are true; He is faithful). I'll have to ask my brothers if I got the list right. :) Some lists have other attributes, but that list is the core. I found a really cool website page that lists the attributes of God and talks about them with scripture references: at www.biblestudytools.com The 15 amazing attributes of God - what they mean and why they matter. But the one that is on my mind today is God's omniscience. God knows everything. He should; He's God, and no one else is. He is not bound by time like we are. And He already knows what this day will look like, for you and for me. He knows what we are facing, what we are going through, how we feel about it, what we are worrying about, what we are hoping for. And, He knows how we should handle each thing. He knows. He knows you, and me, intimately. And He loves us. He is for us. When I know that, when I remember to know that, and choose to go through this day asking Him how to handle each situation, when I take His hand and go through the day with Him, my eyes and ears open to Him and what His wisdom is for me in each situation - I have such a good time! I love life with God. He is awesome! The best friend and companion and Father God who looks after me. It doesn't mean I won't cry. I did this morning, for a friend who has lost a friend to death, for myself with my own Mom dead on earth (but alive in heaven! praise Jesus!), for those of us who are carrying heavy loads for other people in our lives. But the beautiful thing about life with God is He knows about all that and He cares, much more than we do. And He wants to help us navigate these difficult times in our lives. I couldn't make it without Him. And with Him, there is victory, there is redemption, there is love and forgiveness of sins. With God as my Lord, there is a way forward that brings life to everyone who says yes to Him. This is what God says in Isaiah 42:5-6 Thus says God the LORD (Yahweh), who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it. "I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you..." and the psalmist says, in Psalm 89:14-18 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne, lovingkindness (mercy) and truth go before Thee. How blessed (happy) are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name they rejoice all the day, and by Thy righteousness they are exalted. For Thou art the glory of their strength, and by Thy favor our horn is exalted. For our shield belongs to the LORD and our king to the Holy One of Israel. The LORD God is the One who makes me strong! He holds my hand, and today, I'm taking hold of His hand back.
![]() I love getting side-swiped by God's word! I'm reading in Psalm 119 today, the longest of the psalms in the Bible, and picked up where I left off yesterday at verse 97. Verses 97-104 are a little section of their own, and they start off like this. O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, they are mine forever! So how do we fight our battles in life? By knowing God's word, the Bible. By eating it daily. By meditating on it throughout our day. By actively training our feet to walk a righteous path (choosing to do the right thing at every decision point in our day), and by actively restraining our feet from going down evil paths (choosing not to do the wrong thing, choosing not to sin). We do all this so that we actually live out what we read in God's word, following His righteous holy ways. Why do we do this? The psalmist goes on to say, "I haven't turned aside from following Your ways, God! because You Yourself have taught me." The psalmist, and we, do this because we are in a relationship with God Himself. Because He loves us, and has called us to be part of His family, died for us to redeem us and pay for our sins; because He loves us, and He teaches us His ways, we follow Him! When He teaches us, we do it! Have you ever tried to teach someone else? It's not easy! They have to be willing to learn, admit that you know enough to teach them, and want to gain the understanding that you have to give to them. How often do we put each other's backs up when we try to instruct each other (which actually isn't godly as we should be willing to learn from one another, but that's another blog!)? But when God teaches us - that is different! There is something about His voice that brings understanding, that convicts of sin but speaks of forgiveness and love. Here is what the psalmist says, How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, they are sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Your truths I gain understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Sweeter than honey! And good for us. This reminds me of my mother-in-law, Mom Ball, as I call her. When she is dieting and wants something sweet, she will taste a spoonful of honey. A taste of honey on our lips, in our mouth, evokes a feeling of goodness, sweetness. It reminds me of summer days, with bees humming gently in the garden, going from flower to flower, and of the fruit that will follow that pollination. It also reminds me of the spiritual insight that God's word brings to me, like a light bulb going on in my spirit, mind and heart - a new understanding gained from spending time with God and reading His word. It makes me want to shout about it! Hence, this blog. It makes me want to walk out that understanding in my daily life - which I pray God will help me do.
So I say this prayer, Lord God, please help me today to think and meditate on Your word that I've read this morning. Please help me to walk it out and make good, righteous choices along my path today. Please keep me from responding in a sinful way to any challenges this day may bring. And may You and I, Father God, go through this day hand in hand. May Your joy rise in my heart, and please, help me to love the people You bring my way - that they may see You. In Jesus' name, amen. What happens when we enter a room? I'm reading in Psalm 89 this morning, and it says of God, "lovingkindness and truth go before You" (v.14). When God enters a room (yes, ok, I know He is already there - but!, hang in there with me with this metaphor), when His presence reveals itself to us - His lovingkindness (loyal love that never lets us down) and truth precede Him. That is what people experience when God "walks in a room." And then the psalmist says, "how blessed/happy are the people who know that joyful sound!" People rejoice when they hear God and experience the effect of His presence enter a room (reveal more of Himself to us). What happens when we enter a room? What precedes us? What effect do we have on a room? What we carry in our hearts changes the spiritual atmosphere in physical places. We should be carrying the Spirit of God in our hearts wherever we go, and if we are allowing Him to lead us, be in charge (our Resident Boss), and affect our heart attitudes and thoughts, then His presence is what is felt when we enter a room. That means peace, joy and righteousness. That means the fruit of the Spirit: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We know that list. But does that list live in our hearts? Do we live it out day by day? What if we enter a room and it isn't the Holy Spirit who is in charge? What if we haven't practiced self-control, and aren't living and moving and having our being in God, what does that look like? All too often, it means we are allowing negative spirits to influence our thoughts, attitudes and behavior. And we may think that those things are hidden, in our hearts, with no one else to see, but that is not the truth! Those negative spirits and attitudes are felt - they are what precede us into the room - and it changes the spiritual atmosphere in the room, and not for good. If we have a critical spirit, a judgmental spirit, a spirit of offense, or self-righteousness (and the funny thing about this one is you can fall prey to it even when you think you are standing against it!), or if we are allowing negative emotions to control us - we aren't living like children of God. He set us free from those things! What precedes us into a room? I have said "we" the whole way through this blog because I need to practice being aware of what I'm allowing heart space, head space, in my life, and what I'm bringing into a room. (Love it that God knows we need to practice these things! That's one of my favorite words in the Bible. It gives me hope.) I know I often don't get this right and I'm thankful for the Lord showing this to me today. So, just think (with me), what if, when we enter a room, people feel the love of God, people sense peace, people can see the joy of the Holy Spirit in us, people say - there's someone with a child-like faith - happy to be in the presence of the Lord. What would that look like? We can't manufacture these things. We have to allow the Spirit of God to have His way in our hearts - then He allows these things to grow, and the fragrance of Jesus begins to flow from us and permeate the room (2 Corinthians 2:14-16), touch people's hearts, set people free - including ourselves. What would that look like? How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted. For our shield belongs to the LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel. Psalm 89:15-18 "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17 |
Franci Ballwatching and working for the kingdom of God in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham - UK Archives
January 2019
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